Fifty state lawmakers, representing one quarter of the members in the seat Legislature, signed a letter Wednesday criticizing the Baker administration's decision to prohibit open water swimming at Walden Pond, calling it a "wrong and unfair" response to the drowning deaths. In a letter to Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Jim Montgomery, the representatives and senators urged officials to lift the ban "very soon" and direct focus toward education and safety precautions.
It is also used for training by long distance swimmers, many of whom may now be forced to swim in the ocean or other less safe bodies of water," the bipartisan group wrote in their letter, which Sen. Michael Barrett of Lexington tweeted.
Lawmakers said many swimmers cannot afford swimming club or lap pool memberships as an alternative to outdoor, open-body options. Jabbing at what they called "draconian fines," lawmakers in their letter said the administration should instead expand access to swimming classes, hire additional lifeguards and boost their pay, launch a water safety public awareness campaign, and add signage in multiple languages.
The administration has already implemented several of those changes. The Massachusetts Open Water Swimming Association also warned that the increase in fines would disproportionately impact people of color, people with disabilities and those from less affluent backgrounds. Access to pools and swimming lessons is a telling factor behind these stats. Open water swimming can be dangerous in certain scenarios — particularly, wading out into the ocean, where currents can whisk people away into deeper waters.
But with a foundational understanding of how to swim and what to watch out for, open water swimming is a highly effective means of staying in shape, enduring summer heatwaves, and feeling at peace. Calm waters like those at Walden are the ideal venue for open water swimming of all types. An online petition to reverse the restrictions has already amassed more than 9, signatures; comments from signatories alluding to the mental health benefits of swimming especially during a pandemic.
The drowning crisis is ultimately a crisis of access and the state should be working to rectify this Imagine if Baker had responded to the drownings with a bill that would establish universal swimming lessons for K students in Massachusetts. Consider the ripple effects of opening up more Massachusetts ponds and lakes for swimming? In the wake of the drownings, the state has begun to hire more lifeguards at a higher wage: an acknowledgment of the heightened demand for swimming.
The Department of Conservation and Recreation late last week handed down new regulations banning open-water swimming at Walden Pond in the wake of a series of drownings across the state. The swimming advocates are proposing that the new rule be amended to allow open-water swimming as long as a swim buoy flotation device is being used.
The devices are commonly used by distance swimmers. Looking out at Walden Pond on a nice summer day, one would usually see dozens of orange swim buoys trailing swimmers in the water. Lifeguards were instructing people to get into the roped swim area on Monday. One guard in a dinghy was circling the pond and telling people to get into the designated spot. The swimmers said they understand the public safety concerns with all of the recent drownings, but emphasized that open-water swimmers at Walden are experienced.
The open-water ban came as Gov.
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